The Arrest And Detention Of Voice Newspaper Journalists A Justification Of President Barrow Preparing Jah A Successor

Photo: (Member of NEPA)
Photo: Credit The Point.

 Opinion

 By Ousman A. Marong

 

The arbitrary arrest and detention of Musa Sheriff, Managing Editor of The Voice Newspaper, together with his deputy Momodou Justice Darboe, is enough justification for one to draw a conclusion suggesting that President Adama Barrow has chosen a successor as he prepared and planned to exit and hanging his political boots in the balance.

If the duo's arrest and detention have anything to go by, with no iota of truth suggesting that the President has chosen a successor (Muhammed Jah) as part of his preparatory exit plan, why arrest the gentlemen?

The arrest and detention of Sheriff and Darboe is nothing but a tactical move to frustrate and stifle them and their media organization.

It is mind-boggling to arrest Darboe, release Sheriff, and ask him to report the following day only to rearrest him and release him on bail, charging him and his deputy editor (Momodou Justice Darboe) with "false publication", subjecting them to daily police reporting with continuous harassment and intimidation tactic meant to silence them.

I, therefore, call on the government of the Gambia, through the Office of Inspector General of Police (IGP), to avoid using the lazy man's approach in the case of The Voice Newspaper Journalists and unify Gambians.

The office of the IGP, through the President, shouldn't have wrongfully arrested the Journalists without taking significant steps to redress the matter into a civil cause.

The office of the IGP has adopted a lazy man's approach by wrongfully arresting Momodou Justice Darboe and Musa Sheriff.

The story run by the medium did not in any way breach or violate any journalist's principles or ethics. It's a story with wings that any journalist interested in running a story can. If the state continues to operate in such a way, it would bring censorship amongst journalists and further derail efforts in citizens and institutions coming forward to play part their part in the recent commissioning of the ATI. The news was welcoming to us as Niumikas, but perhaps jealous Jarrankas police officers had to steal the show by arresting the Journalists who had run the story.

Yours, in the watchdog spirit

Ousman A. Marong

Chairman Journalists International Forum for Migration, JiFORM,

County Coordinator Mediteranean Foundation for Survival of African Migrants, MFSAM.